On Monday, October 30, Lionel Messi picked up his eighth Ballon d’Or Award at a lavish gala ceremony in Paris, France. Messi’s historic achievement was heavily influenced by Argentina’s triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, during which the 36-year-old pitched in with seven goals and three assists in seven games. The legendary no. 10, of course, has won the award as an Inter Miami player, making him the first active player in Major League Soccer (MLS) history to do so.
For the most part, the Ballon d’Or Award has gone exclusively to players plying their trade in Europe. While Messi’s win as an Inter Miami player has been historic, it will be a while before Vice City or any other MLS club catches up to the frontrunners in Europe.
Read on to meet the only 9 clubs in history to win more than one Ballon d’Or:
#9 Hamburger SV – 2 Wins (1 Winner)
Currently playing in the second division of German soccer, Hamburger SV have two Ballon d’Or Awards under their belt, which is only second to German champions Bayern Munich.
Both of Hamburger’s Golden Ball Awards came through the genius of English legend Kevin Keegan. The Liverpool icon, who spent just three years at Hamburger SV (1977-1980), won two consecutive Ballon d’Or Awards in 1978 and 1979.
#8 Inter Milan – 2 Wins (2 Winners)
Serie A giants Inter Milan have had the privilege of seeing two of their players win the Ballon d’Or Award, with each superstar winning it once.
Germany icon Lothar Matthäus was the first Inter Milan player to win the Golden Ball award in 1990. Seven years later, the mercurial Ronaldo Nazario became the second and last Inter player to represent the club in the Ballon d’Or gala.
#7 Dynamo Kyiv – 2 Wins (2 Winners)
Ukrainian powerhouse Dynamo Kyiv are only the second team (behind Hamburger SV) outside the top five European leagues to win the coveted Ballon d’Or Award more than once.
Soviet Union star Oleg Blokhin was a proud Dynamo Kyiv player when he won the award in 1975. His countryman Igor Belanov became the second Kyiv star to win it when he climbed atop the podium in 1986.
#6 Manchester United – 4 Wins (4 Winners)
Manchester United have so far had four players win the Ballon d’Or during their time at Old Trafford, with each player winning it once.
Scotland legend Denis Law was the first Manchester United player to win the award, with him bringing the trophy home in 1964. Bobby Charlton (1966) and George Best (1968) were the next two Ballon d’Or winners before Cristiano Ronaldo ended the 40-year drought in 2008.
#5 Bayern Munich – 5 Wins (3 Winners)
German giants Bayern Munich have five Ballon d’Ors to their name, with three players claiming them. Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge both won the award two times each.
Iconic goalscorer Gerd Muller won Bayern Munich’s first Golden Ball in 1970. A couple of years later, Beckenbauer claimed his first Ballon d’Or before winning it again in 1976. Rummenigge then made it five for Bayern by claiming for two consecutive years in 1980 and 1981.
#4 AC Milan – 8 Wins (6 Winners)
Serie A giants AC Milan have had six Ballon d’Or winners over the years, with their total tally currently sitting at eight. Three-time winner Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992) is Milan’s most decorated player in the history of the awards.
In 1969, Gianni Rivera became the first AC Milan player to win the Ballon d’Or. Then Dutch geniuses Ruud Gullit and Van Basten joined the party, winning it thrice between 1987 and 1989. Van Basten returned for his third Ballon d’Or Award in 1992, establishing himself as a Milan icon. George Weah (1995), Andriy Shevchenko (2004), and Kaka (2007) are the three other players to win the accolade at San Siro.
#3 Juventus – 8 Wins (6 Winners)
The joint-most successful Italian club when it comes to Ballon d’Or glory, Juventus have eight Golden Ball awards under their belt, with six players winning it during their stay in Turin. Winning the award for three consecutive years between 1983 and 1985, Michel Platini emerged as their most accomplished player.
Italian legend Omar Sivori became the first Juventus player to win the Ballon d’Or Award in 1961. Paolo Rossi claimed the club’s second in 1982 before Platini won it for three consecutive seasons. In 1993, Roberto Baggio secured the Bianconeri’s sixth Golden Ball win before Zinedine Zidane lifted it in 1998. Pavel Nedved, who won the award in 2003, is the last Juventus player to win the Ballon d’Or.
#2 Barcelona – 12 Wins (6 Winners)
In second place, we have Barcelona, with the Blaugrana claiming 12 Ballon d’Or Awards from six individual winners. Needless to say, Lionel Messi has been the flagbearer, winning it a staggering six times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019) between 2005 and 2021. He is also the last Barca player to win the coveted Golden Ball.
Luis Suarez became Barcelona’s first Ballon d’Or winner when he claimed it in 1960. In 1973, Johan Cruyff brought the award back to Catalonia before defending it the next year. Barca had to wait for two decades before Hristo Stoichkov made it four for the club. Brazilian icons Rivaldo (1999) and Ronaldinho (2005) won the award one time each before Messi kicked off his Ballon d’Or dominance in 2009.
#1 Real Madrid – 12 Wins (8 Winners)
The most successful team in Europe, Real Madrid have won 12 Ballon d’Or Awards since 1956, with eight individual players winning them. The mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo has been their leading light in the Ballon d’Or race, with the Portuguese winning it a whopping four times (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) during his nine-year stay in the Spanish capital.
Legendary scorer Alfredo Di Stefano was the first Real Madrid player to win the award in 1957. The following year, it went to his teammate Raymond Kopa before Di Stefano reclaimed it in 1959. Madrid had to wait for 41 long years for their next win, with former Barcelona star Luis Figo bringing it to the Spanish capital in 2000. Between Figo (2000) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2013), Ronaldo Nazario (2002) and Fabio Cannavaro (2006) won the Ballon d’Or for Los Blancos.
In the last five years, two Madrid players have won the Golden Ball, with Luka Modric bagging it in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022.
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